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Topic: CAN A PRIEST REMARRY (Read 3774 times)

In the Greek Orthodox faith, if a Greek Orthodox priest's wife has cheated on him and is living with the boyfriend and they are to divorce as it has been years since the seperation. Is that poor priest allowed to remarry? Even though it is not his fault that his wife chose to go off with another man?

"Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money."

"Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well;"- 1 Timothy 3:2-3, 12

The Orthodox Church has traditionally seen this as not merely a mandate against polygamy among the clergy; the Church has also understood this mandate serially, that a clergyman must be the husband of but one wife over the course of his entire lifetime. That is why a number of canons disqualify an unordained man from holy orders if he has already been divorced (or widowed) and remarried. Likewise, one who has been divorced after his ordination must renounce his ordination if he desires to remarry. But lest you think, "O, that poor priest," remember that this rule also applies to priests whose wives have died.

Usually no. If the priest wants to remarry they are usually returned to a lay status. However, if a priest's wife dies and there are young children they may be allowed to remarry. This is unusual and totally up to the Bishop.

The only exception I can think of is if a priest loses his wife and has young children. If a mother is needed for helping rear the children, an exception may be granted. I've only heard this from one priest and I don't know if this has actually been done before. I know specifically of a case where a priest did remarry in the Antiochian archdiocese to one of his parishioners. I think that, even to this day, it is a controversy.

In the Greek Orthodox faith, if a Greek Orthodox priest's wife has cheated on him and is living with the boyfriend and they are to divorce as it has been years since the seperation. Is that poor priest allowed to remarry? Even though it is not his fault that his wife chose to go off with another man?

No remarriage for priests is the rule and it is strictly, but not unwaveringly, observed. Sometimes the bishops will lean towards leniency.For example the Romanian Church currently has 570 priests who are divorced priests and/or divorced and remarried priests.Seehttp://www.roeanews.info/2010/03/15/bor-%E2%80%93-divorced-andor-remarried-priests/

A divorced priest whose wife left him is one thing when it is not his fault, but to remarry is another. Romania is providing many wonders these days.

No remarriage for priests is the rule and it is strictly, but not unwaveringly, observed. Sometimes the bishops will lean towards leniency.For example the Romanian Church currently has 570 priests who are divorced priests and/or divorced and remarried priests.Seehttp://www.roeanews.info/2010/03/15/bor-%E2%80%93-divorced-andor-remarried-priests/

A divorced priest whose wife left him is one thing when it is not his fault, but to remarry is another. Romania is providing many wonders these days.

Just out of curiosity, if a priest's ex-wife wishes to return to him after their divorce and she had not married another during their separation, would they be allowed to remarry each other without him having to renounce his ordination? (Would a sacramental rite of remarriage even be necessary?)

No remarriage for priests is the rule and it is strictly, but not unwaveringly, observed. Sometimes the bishops will lean towards leniency.For example the Romanian Church currently has 570 priests who are divorced priests and/or divorced and remarried priests.Seehttp://www.roeanews.info/2010/03/15/bor-%E2%80%93-divorced-andor-remarried-priests/

A divorced priest whose wife left him is one thing when it is not his fault, but to remarry is another. Romania is providing many wonders these days.

Just out of curiosity, if a priest's ex-wife wishes to return to him after their divorce and she had not married another during their separation, would they be allowed to remarry each other? (Would a sacramental rite of remarriage even be necessary?)

It would seem to me, since they were separated, and she had not married another, she may, and no "remarriage" would occur, since she did not marry again.

Fixed quote tags so one can see what I said and what you said. -PtA

« Last Edit: May 15, 2011, 11:58:29 PM by PeterTheAleut »

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No remarriage for priests is the rule and it is strictly, but not unwaveringly, observed. Sometimes the bishops will lean towards leniency.For example the Romanian Church currently has 570 priests who are divorced priests and/or divorced and remarried priests.Seehttp://www.roeanews.info/2010/03/15/bor-%E2%80%93-divorced-andor-remarried-priests/

A divorced priest whose wife left him is one thing when it is not his fault, but to remarry is another. Romania is providing many wonders these days.

Just out of curiosity, if a priest's ex-wife wishes to return to him after their divorce and she had not married another during their separation, would they be allowed to remarry each other without him having to renounce his ordination? (Would a sacramental rite of remarriage even be necessary?)

If they didn't take monastic vows when separated, yes, as the marriage had never ended. Yet there are other questions: was adultary committed in the meantime, etc.? If so, then there is a problem.

In the Greek Orthodox faith, if a Greek Orthodox priest's wife has cheated on him and is living with the boyfriend and they are to divorce as it has been years since the seperation. Is that poor priest allowed to remarry? Even though it is not his fault that his wife chose to go off with another man?

No.

Father, It does happen, even though rarely. The local Romanian priest and a friend of mine experienced the scenario about which Gaz is asking. There were some difficult years of suspension from priestly work. He married again and eventually his remarriage was accepted and he has been appointed to a new parish in Australia.

He has this as the mast on his parish webpage. It seems very appropriate...

father irish hermit, do you speak romanian?so many people do here, este frumos but i guess we should pray for romania, that's a lot of hurting priests ministering to people.in the coptic church priests don't ever remarry.there are usually many aunties and sunday school teachers around to help in the case of young widowers with children.